Carton construction



R. c. ELLSWORTH CARTON CONSTRUCTION Filed April 25, 1950 j Z J 1 Oct.20, 1953 INVENTOR ATTORNEY W J. \J

Patented Oct. 20, 1953 CARTON CONSTRUCTION Ransom C. Ellsworth, Rittman,Ohio, assignor to The Ohio Boxboard Company, Rittman, Ohio,

a corporation of Ohio Application April 25, 1950, Serial No. 157,969

1 Claim.

This invention relates to paperboard cartons, and it has particularreference to cartons of tray type for the packaging of commodities of arelatively greasy or oily nature, such as cookies, doughnuts and otherbaked goods.

In accordance with presently growing practice such commodities arepackaged in open-topped cartons of tray type, and after their arrangement in the cartons, usually in rows, the package is completed by awrapping of cellophane or other transparent material, thus producing anattractive display and enabling the prospective purchaser to see thecontents of the package.

It has been found that in this mode of packaging articles of arelatively greasy or oily nature, the contact of the articles with theraw or cut edges of the paperboard material at the upper edges of theside walls of the carton leads to wicking of the grease or oil into therelatively porous and absorbent paperboard, with the result that anobjectionable discoloration of the carton side walls occurs and theoriginal attractiveness of the package and its customer appeal areimpaired.

Moreover, this general type of carton or tray, despite the fact that thepackage of which it forms a part is wrapped, must be manufactured fromrelatively heavy caliper paperboard stock in order not to be so flimsyas to be subject to unsightly sagging or bulging or to detract from thefacility with which it may be handled by packers and packagingmachinery, and by prospective purchasers.

One object of the present invention is to provide a construction ofcarton, particularly of tray type, in which the exposed upper edges ofthe side walls which normally contact the articles packaged will beprotected against the objectionable discoloration caused by wicking ofgrease from such articles, whereby the attractive appearance andcustomer appeal of the package may be maintained and enhanced.

Another object of the invention is to so reinforce the free edges of theside Walls of the carton that unsightly sagging or bulging of suchwalls, and detraction from the pleasing appearance of the package thuscaused will be avoided, and the facility or" handling of the cartons bypackers and prospective purchasers will be improved. lvioreover, therigidity of the carton when set up, the ease with which it may beoperate-d upon by automatic erecting machinery and manipulated bypacking line equipment will be increased and scrapping of cartons due todamage caused by such machinery and equipment materially reduced.

The invention comprises the provision in a carton of open-top ortray-like form of means for protecting the upper edges of the cartonside walls, and hence the walls themselves, against unsightlydiscoloration by grease or oil carried by the carton contents,preferably including extensions of the side walls outwardly foldable andafiixed fiat against the outer surfaces of the walls and provided withor comprising grease-repellant lining material, to thus provide at theupper edges of said walls grease-impervious surfaces and to impart tothe walls increased longitudinal and lateral rigidity, all as will beexplained hereinafter more fully and finally claimed.

In the accompanying drawing illustrating the invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated,

Fig. l is a plan view of the outer side of a fiat paperboard blank for acarton embodying the features of the invention,

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but showing the side Wall edgeflanges in folded condition,

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a carton erected from the blank of Figs.1 and 2,

Fig. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on theline 4--4, Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the inner side of a modified form of cartonblank, and

Fig. 6 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on theline 66, Fig. 5.

Having reference to Figs. 1 to 4, it will be seen that the carton blankcomprises a sheet of appropriate paperboard stock out and scored toprovide a bottom I defined by longitudinal and lateral folding scores 2and 3, respectively, side wall members 4 joined to the bottom along thelongitudinal folding scores 2, and end wall members 5 joined to thebottom along the lateral folding scores 3. In the form of carton shown,assembly or setting up to erected condition is accomplished byinterlocking tongue and slit means 6 and 1 formed as elements of endflaps 8 and 9, respectively, joined to the side wall members 4 at theiropposite ends upon folding scores I0. It will be understood that thistype of assembly maintaining means is merely illustrative, and thatvarious kinds may be employed depending upon the particular variety ofcarton to be furnished to the purchaser.

In accordance with the invention the free outer edge, which isultimately the upper edge, of each of the sidewall members 4 isfurnished with an extension or flange ll substantially coextensivetherewith and terminating short of the end flaps 8 and 9 and hence ofthe end walls 5 when the carton is set up. These flanges II are foldablerelatively to the side wall members 4 upon folding scores [2 so thatthey may be caused to extend downwardly upon and in contact with and besecured to the outer faces of the side wall members. Preferably theentire inner face or side of the blank, but at least the portions of theside wall members adjacent to their upper edges, will have a lining l3of grease-proof or grease-repellant material, such as a sheet, or anintegral liner layer of the paperboard, of glassine or other suitablematerial, this lining extending onto the extensions or flanges I I, asshown in Figs. 2 and 4-.

Obviously, when the flanges or extensions H are folded outwardly andagainst the outer surfaces of the side wall members, as shown in Figs.2, 3 and 4, and preferably adhesively secured directly thereagainstthroughout their full extent in face-to-face relation thereto, thegrease-proof or grease-repellant lining !3 will extend from the innerfaces of the side walls, over their folded upper edges and partway downtheir outer sides or faces, to thereby present to the oily or greasycontents of the carton side walls fully protected against wicking of theoil or grease, it being aparent that all raw or cut edges of the sidewall members are removed from zones of contact with the packagedarticles.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. V1 to 4,the extensions or flanges H of the side walls, especially when foldedflat against and secured to the outer faces of the side wall members.materially increase the longitudinal and lateral rigidity of these wallsand guard them against sagging and bulging. Moreover, in themanipulation of the cartons by setting-up or erecting machinery andpacking line apparatus, as well as by operatives or packers, therigidity thus imparted greatly facilitates assembly and handling andreduces carton damage and the scrapping of cartons necessitated by suchdamage.

Furthermore, the increased rigidity thus afforded makes possible the usein the manufacture of the cartons of paperboard stock of less caliperthan that ordinarily required for cartons of this type, and a saving inmaterial cost is thus attained.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, the extensions ll ofthe side wall members 4 are omitted and the grease-proof orgrease-repellant lining 13, which in this case will be in the form of alaminated sheet, has its edges extended in flanges 14 which will befolded outwardly over the raw or cut upper edges 45 of the side wallmembers to protect them against wicking of oil or grease in a mannersimilar to that already described.

It is known that boxes and cartons have heretofore been provided withlinings having edge portions extending over the upper edges of theirside wall members, and that boxes and cartons have also been providedupon the upper edges of their side wall members with flanges orextensions which are folded inwardly of and affixed to the underlyinginner surfaces of the side wall members. However, no disclosure is knownof a carton like that of this invention wherein the flanges orextensions of the side wall members are provided in the form ofgrease-proof or grease-repellant material, folded outwardly anddownwardly against underlying outer surfaces of the side wall members,thereby to present for contact with the oily or greasy contents of thepackage grease-impervious or grease-repellant surfaces and to removefrom the zone of such contact the raw or cut edges of the paperboardmaterial so as to prevent wicking of the oil or grease thereby and theattendant unsightly discoloration of the carton walls.

Various changes and modifications are considered to be within theprinciple of the invention and the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

A blank for a carton of open-top tray form for the packagingparticularly of products of an inherently oily or greasy natureespecially bakery products, comprising a foldable sheet of paperboardmaterial cut and scored to define a bottom, side and end wall membersfoldable to erected condition substantially normal to said bottom andsaid end wall members being of greater height than said side wallmembers, and flaps at the carton corners for securing said side and endwall members in erected condition, said side wall members being providedat their outer longitudinal edges with integral flanges definedtherefrom by folding scores and substantially coextensive therewith, andsaid blank being provided throughout its inner surface including saidflange with a lining of grease and oil repellent material, said flangesbeing disposed by virtue of their folding scores against and permanentlyjuxtaposed with the outer surfaces of the side wall members in directface-to-face contact therewith throughout their length, whereby in theerected carton the repellent lining of the blank extends with saidflanges over the folded upper edges of the side wall members at saidfolding scores and pipvides therefor a surface serving to preventwicking of grease or oil from the carton contents into said side wallmembers, and the upper edges of the end wall members extend above theupper edges of the side wall members and out of the zone of wickingcontact with said contents.

RANSOM C. ELL-SWORTH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 383,606 White May 29, 1888 467,336 Munson Jan. 19, 1892668,239 Waldorf Feb. 19, 1901 873,335 Wyman Dec. 10, 1907 1,988,698Newhouse Jan. 22, 1935 2,366,602 De Haven Jan. 2, 1945 2,391,767 BeerandDec. 25, 1945

